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Sunday, September 25, 2016

Mothers of Children with Autism Could Face an Increased Risk of Heart Disease

A recent study has found that the stress
associated with raising a child with autism could be linked to the production of lower amounts of cells that help
protect our systems from damage.

As parents we all joke around about how our kids are going
to kill us one day, but if you are suffering from chronic stress issues due to
looking after your child or children, then you may be at risk more than you
know.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco
have recently concluded a study where they found that mothers of children with
autism that report chronic stress are more likely to have higher levels of bad
cholesterol. They also found that the women could have fewer of the cells
responsible for helping repair the vascular system, putting the women at a
higher risk of heart disease.

There is no denying that children whether they are autistic
or not will all cause a certain amount of stress to their parents, but the
mothers of autistic children have more challenging behavior and emotional
problems to deal with, resulting in higher levels of stress.

To help establish their results, the researchers sought the
help of sixty-eight healthy mothers, thirty-one of which had children that were
suffering from autism. They carefully
interviewed all of the mothers while also checking their levels of stress and
taking fasting blood samples. They were testing for circulating hematopoietic
progenitor cells, which are responsible for repairing damage to blood vessels and also help to prevent the
accumulation of low-density lipoproteins and bad cholesterol.

Among the women the study interviewed and tested, thirty
percent of those with autistic children had LDL levels which were above the moderate
health risk for heart disease, compared to eight percent of mothers with
neurotypical children. The mothers with autistic children also had much lower
levels of the circulating progenitor cells, which the researchers link to
higher LDL levels and higher risk for heart disease.

Unfortunately, there are no easy or guaranteed methods for
lowering stress, but researchers found that some mothers that had positive
family interactions did experience lower levels of stress. There is no easy
solution for lowering stress, but there are some ways you can help yourself.
Classes such as yoga or even going to work out at the gym or with friends could
lower your stress levels. Meditation is another good way to lower stress and remember it is not a sign of
weakness to ask for help. If you enjoyed the article, then please feel free to
comment and share.